THE BUZZ: Wow, look—Mario Kart has come to the iPhone! At least… I think it’s Mario Kart. I mean, it has the same question mark boxes, and same types of weapons, and same graphics style, and pretty much the same courses. Hmm.

EGM’s TAKE: Actually, the game is “Mole Kart” by Chinese developer Taomee. I’m not sure what I find more disturbing—the blatant way in which this game copies so many elements of Mario Kart, or the creepy cast of characters the game features. That spooky red-haired clown girl kind of freaks me out.

Or, I guess, there’s also the reason why it’s called “Mole Kart”. That’s kind of weird as well.

Eric L. Patterson got started via self-publishing game-related fanzines in junior high, and now has one goal in life: making sure EGM has as much coverage of niche Japanese games as can realistically be crammed in. Eric’s also active in the gaming community on a personal level, being an outspoken voice on topics such as equality in gaming and consumer rights. Stalk Eric on Twitter: @Eric_EGM. Meet the rest of the crew.